THE MEDIA DO NOT CARE ABOUT STEM WOMEN
Last 4th December, the Scientific Chemical woman Gabriela Morreale died. She was the discoverer, together with his Cordobesian husband and doctor Francisco Escobar del Rey, of the thyroid gland working system. She discovered the way to detect early congenital hypothyroidism, known as “heel prick”, which all the babies undergo nowdays.
She has had all kinds of awards but… she died and newspapers did not inform about it until the 10th December.
She was born in Milán in 1930 and died in Madrid, as we said before, the 4th of December 2017.
She was a researcher professor at Spanish CSIC -High Council of Scientific Investigations-, specifically at the Biomedical Investigations Institute and in the Biochemical department of Medicine of UAM (Madrid Autonomous University)
She devoted her life to study how iodine and thyroid glands influence the development of the foetu’s brain.
The heel prick helps the prevention of mental disease by untreated hypothyroidism in new born babies. She also proved the importance of maternal thyroid glands and the access to the mother’s iodine in the development of the foetu’s brain, contributing to define the nutritional iodine needs for expecting mothers.
UNICEF has adopted the heel prick worldwide and since 1990, the WHO –World Health Organization includes the right to have iodine during pregnancy and early childhood.
We want to make her relevant to our school community and our European partners.
https://politica.elpais.com/politica/2017/12/10/actualidad/1512933188_242567.html
17/11/2017
“We want to see more women in high posts in science”
Rosa Menéndez appointed first woman president of CSIC (High Council of Scientific Investigations) focused on recovering Spanish scientists working abroad and reducing burocracy
IBE: Rosa Menéndez new president of CSIC
Born in Cudillero (Asturias) in 1956, Rosa Menéndez has been the vicepresident of the CSIC (2008-2009) and the director of the Instituto Nacional del Carbón (2003-2008). She has a BA in Chemistry from the University of Oviedo (1980) and got a PhD from the same university in 1986. She is currently member of the managing board of the State Research Agency and of the National Commission for the Research Assessment, as well as of the Advisory Scientific Committee of the Asturias’ principality. She is also the institutional delegate of the CSIC in Asturias.
Her research deals with energy and materials, and she launched a research line on the applications of graphene in biomedical sciences and energy storage.
Menéndez has been involved in more than thirty European, national and regional projects; she led twentyish of these, and she has coordinated five European projects. She has published more than 200 papers in high-impact international journals, two popular science books, and several chapters, and she has tutored eighteen PhD theses. She has nine patents.
Menéndez has been awarded several prizes for her contribution to the development of science and its popularisation, and for her scientific career.